Texas Attorney General

Texas Attorney General

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What is the Attorney General Texas?

The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the state of Texas. The Office of the Attorney General Texas was first established through executive ordinance of the state’s government in 1836. Under the state’s constitution, in 1845, the Texas Attorney General was appointed by the governor; however, the office was made elective in 1850 via a constitutional amendment. The Texas Attorney General is elected to a four-year term, but the individual elected may be re-elected to serve additional terms.

What does the Attorney General of Texas do?

The Texas Attorney General is charged the Texas constitution to defend the laws and the writings within the constitution. Additionally, the Attorney General Texas must represent the state in litigation and approve bond issues present in the public.

To fulfill these various responsibilities, the elected official will serve as legal counsel to all coordinating boards and agencies of the Texas state government, issue legal opinions when requested by the governor, head various state agencies and other officials as provided by statute and sit as the ex-officio member of state committees and commissions.

The Attorney General Child Support division is one of the most comprehensive government departments in the state. The Attorney General Child Support division oversees all litigation issues connected to child support matters, such as custody and payment issues. If an individual is seeking child support payments or is looking to initiate legal action against a defaulted party, the Attorney General Child Support division will handle all inquiries and general matters concerning the child support issue.

The Attorney General of Texas will also defend all challenges made to Texas law and suits filed against both state agencies and the individual employees of Texas. These various duties will include representing the Director of the State’s Criminal Justice in appeals from convictions rendered in federal courts.

In addition to these roles, the Office of the Attorney General Texas will also act as a law enforcement agency and as such, will employ a staff of sworn peace officers, who investigate special classes of offenses, pursuit fugitives and conduct investigations at the requests of local prosecutors. The office is also formally responsible for overseeing proceedings to secure child support and investigations revolving around Medicaid Fraud.

The Attorney General Texas:

Republican Greg Abbott is the current Attorney General of Texas. Abbot was elected on December 2nd of 2002 where he assumed office from fellow Republican John Cornyn, who was elected to the United States Senate.

Greg Abbot, prior to assuming the office of Texas Attorney General, was a justice on the Texas Supreme Court—a position he was appointed to by-then Governor George W. Bush. Abbott received his B.B.A in finance from the University of Texas and his J.D. from the Vanderbilt University Law School. Abbot resigned from the state Supreme Court in 2001, where he then defeated the Democratic nominee, Kirk Watson, for the position of Texas Attorney General.

Criminal Justice Duties of the Texas Attorney General:

The Attorney General of Texas presides over an executive department administered in Austin. The department oversees numerous public services, including processing Texas State Identification Cards, administering the Texas Criminal Justice Data Center, running the Missing Child Center, the Child Support Enforcement Agency, the Children Task Force, Tobacco Enforcement Unit etc.

The Legal Process and Procedure of the Attorney General Texas:

Administrative Law and the Texas Attorney General:

In addition to serving as the primary prosecuting attorney on behalf of the State of Texas, the Attorney General Texas also serves as the chief advocate of legislature and statutory regulation existing within the State of Texas

Common Law and the Texas Attorney General:

In many cases, the Attorney General Texas will employ the legal ideology of ‘Stare Decisis’ with regard to appellate hearings requested within the State of Texas; Stare Decisis facilitates a hierarchy with regard to legal venue, within which the process of appeals is determined for potential hearings

Upon the ruling set forth by a court classified as a ‘lower’, an appeal may be subject to judicial review by a court ‘classified as ‘higher’ only in the event that the ‘higher court’ has cited fault within the initial sentencing; however, case decisions, rulings, and Texas Attorney General Texas judicial review will be cited as primary sources with regard to sentencing

Contacting the Texas Attorney General:

The Texas Attorney General’s Office is located at 300 W. 15th Street in Austin, Texas 78701. The main department may be reached via telephone at 512-463-2100. The Consumer Protection hotline of the TX Attorney General Office may be reached via telephone at 800-621-0508. Furthermore, the Child Support State Office may be reached via phone at 512-460-6000.